Box score (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. – Senior shortstop Owen Clyne drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Patriots to a 3-2 walk-off win over Davidson in the first game of the series on Friday afternoon at Spuhler Field.

THE LEADOFF

• Freshman second baseman Julius Bagnerise had three hits and scored a run.
• Graduate student center fielder Luciano Terilli had two hits, a walk and RBI.
• Senior starter Logan Rumberg tossed seven strong innings with five strikeouts.
• Clyne drove in two runs for his 25th and 26th RBIs of the season.

George Mason (15-12, 8-2 A-10) took the lead against Davidson (12-15, 4-6 A-10) senior starter Wilson Perkins in the bottom of the third.  Bagnerise led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a groundout.  Clyne then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.

The Wildcats evened the score in the top of the fourth with a leadoff home run by sophomore center fielder Jamie Daley.

In the top of the fifth, Wildcats freshman first baseman Theo Loughlin led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt.  Senior second baseman Aidan Rice followed with a sacrifice fly to center to make it a 2-1 game.

In the top of the eighth, George Mason redshirt-junior Owen Stewart gave up a two-out double and a pair of walks, but he struck out Loughlin to end the inning.

The Patriots used a pair of late inning runs for the win.

With one out in the eighth, junior first baseman Jake Butler started a rally with a single up the middle off Wildcats sophomore reliever Jacob Vokal.  With two outs, Butler stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch.  After sophomore left fielder Lucas Alberti drew a walk to put runners on the corners, Terilli drove in a run with an infield single to shortstop to tie the score, 2-2.

Patriots junior Matthew Westley stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter to lead off the home half of the ninth and walked to start the inning against Davidson junior reliever Ivan Hoyt.  With one out, Bagnerise singled to left to put runners on first and second.  After senior outfielder Laken Tignor came into the game to pinch-run for Westley, both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball.  Butler then walked to load the bases and set the stage for Clyne, who delivered with a single up the middle, with Tignor crossing the plate for the walk-off 3-2 victory.

For the Patriots, Rumberg allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits in 7.0 innings.  Stewart (2-2) pitched 2.0 innings and allowed just one hit with three strikeouts.

Bagnerise went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases and scored a run.  Terilli was 2-for-3 with RBI-single.  Clyne extended his hitting streak to 13 games and now leads the Patriots with 26 RBI.

For the Wildcats, Perkins allowed one run on five hits in 6.0 innings.  Vokal gave up one run on three hits in 1.2 innings.  Hoyt (1-2) gave up an unearned run on two hits in the ninth and took the loss.

The Patriots and Wildcats wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Saturday with the first pitch for game one scheduled for 11 a.m. at Spuhler Field.